US4423357A - Switchable precision current source - Google Patents
Switchable precision current source Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US4423357A US4423357A US06/390,590 US39059082A US4423357A US 4423357 A US4423357 A US 4423357A US 39059082 A US39059082 A US 39059082A US 4423357 A US4423357 A US 4423357A
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- transistor
- current
- base
- switching signal
- load
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
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Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05F—SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G05F3/00—Non-retroactive systems for regulating electric variables by using an uncontrolled element, or an uncontrolled combination of elements, such element or such combination having self-regulating properties
- G05F3/02—Regulating voltage or current
- G05F3/08—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable is dc
- G05F3/10—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable is dc using uncontrolled devices with non-linear characteristics
- G05F3/16—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable is dc using uncontrolled devices with non-linear characteristics being semiconductor devices
- G05F3/20—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable is dc using uncontrolled devices with non-linear characteristics being semiconductor devices using diode- transistor combinations
- G05F3/22—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable is dc using uncontrolled devices with non-linear characteristics being semiconductor devices using diode- transistor combinations wherein the transistors are of the bipolar type only
Definitions
- This invention relates to constant current supplies, and particulary to switchable precision current supply circuits that can be easily integrated in parallel.
- switchable current sources present difficult problems, especially when it is desired to be able to integrate the circuits on a substrate.
- precision current sources that are switchable require a large number of stages or active elements, such as transistors.
- the size and complexity of the circuits also increase as the required current increases.
- the circuits become more complicated when there are additional constraints.
- the latter may include special load requirements such as common-cathode light-emitting diodes (LED's). It may be desirable to drive up to 3000 such LED's each requiring 10 to 40 milliamperes current which must be essentially equal.
- LED's common-cathode light-emitting diodes
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,712 discloses the use of switchable current sources for digital-to-analog conversion of a counter value.
- the switched currents are proportional to the binary values of the signals used for switching.
- the switched currents are summed to produce a voltage that is proportional to the logarithm of the binary value being converted.
- U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,619 also shows digital-to-analog conversion using switchable current sources and current summing.
- Another constant current switching circuit is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,787,734 which also uses a constant voltage reference source.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,478 shows the sensing of a current through the load using a voltage drop resistor in conjunction with a threshold detector for controlling the current.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,696 shows a three-transistor, three-terminal switching circuit using an inverted Darlington pair to provide thyristor switching action.
- a switchable current source is coupled between a power supply and a load and utilizes three transistors.
- a first transistor is coupled from the power supply to the load.
- Two other complementary transistors have their emitters coupled together and their collectors coupled between the base and collector of the first transistor.
- One of the two complementary transistors has its base coupled to a switching signal source and the other has its base coupled to a reference level voltage. The latter regulates the current through the first transistor and the other switches the current on or off.
- This circuit arrangement allows several stages to be coupled in parallel to provide more current switching capacity. It can be easily integrated on a substrate because it contains few components.
- FIGURE is a schematic showing the use of the invention to provide current to a light-emitting diode using four circuits of the invention in parallel to increase the current supplied to the load.
- each of the circuits is coupled between a power source 20 and a load 17.
- the operation of each of the circuits is the same and therefore, only the first one need be explained in detail.
- the current to the load is carried by a transistor 10 which is connected at its collector end to the power source 20 by a resistor 15 which acts to limit the maximum current through the transistor 10 and to insure that all parallel branches carry an equal amount of the load current.
- the main drive transistor 10 has its base coupled to its collector through two complementary transistors 11 and 12.
- the base of the transistor 11 is coupled to a reference voltage source 21.
- the action of the transistor 11 is to regulate the current through the driver transistor 10.
- To regulate is herein used to mean to determine the amount of current, i.e., to provide a constant current through the driver transistor 10.
- the base of the other complementary transistor is coupled to a switching signal source which may include, as shown in the FIGURE, a level shifting circuit comprising a transistor 19 and a voltage divider comprising the resistors 16 and 18.
- the action of the transistor 12 is to control the current through the driver transistor 10. To control is herein used to mean to turn off or to turn on the current flow through the transistor 10.
- the transistor 12 When the transistor 12 is turned on by a suitable switching signal, it is driven into the saturation region so that the voltage drop from its collector to its emitter is a small and constant value. Since the resistance 15 is assumed to be very small compared to the emitter resistance and the base spreading resistance of the transistor 11, the base-to-emitter voltage drop of the latter is maintained substantially constant and consequently, the current through the transistor 11 is constant. Since the current passed by the driver transistor 10 is proportional to its base current, which is the current through the transistor 11, the current supplied to the load through the driver transistor 10 remains constant while the transistor 12 is turned on.
- Turning off the transistor 12 by a suitable change in the switching signal cuts off the current through the transistor 11 which, in turn, cuts off the current through the driver transistor 10.
- the current through the drive transistor 10 is turned on and off via the action of the applied switching signal. While turned on, the current is regulated to a precise value.
- transistors 11 and 12 are shown and described as complementary transistors, they can also be of the same type as long as they are coupled in series so as to conduct in the same direction. That is, if they are transistors of the same polarity, preferably PNP types, the collector and emitter of the transistor 12 would be reversed from the orientation shown in the FIGURE.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Nonlinear Science (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
- Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
- Electronic Switches (AREA)
- Amplifiers (AREA)
- Led Devices (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims (7)
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US06/390,590 US4423357A (en) | 1982-06-21 | 1982-06-21 | Switchable precision current source |
JP58068512A JPS58225727A (en) | 1982-06-21 | 1983-04-20 | Darlington circuit |
EP83104959A EP0097248B1 (en) | 1982-06-21 | 1983-05-19 | Switchable current source |
DE8383104959T DE3377819D1 (en) | 1982-06-21 | 1983-05-19 | Switchable current source |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US06/390,590 US4423357A (en) | 1982-06-21 | 1982-06-21 | Switchable precision current source |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US4423357A true US4423357A (en) | 1983-12-27 |
Family
ID=23543090
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US06/390,590 Expired - Fee Related US4423357A (en) | 1982-06-21 | 1982-06-21 | Switchable precision current source |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US4423357A (en) |
EP (1) | EP0097248B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JPS58225727A (en) |
DE (1) | DE3377819D1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE3518077A1 (en) * | 1984-05-21 | 1985-11-21 | Sgs-Ates Componenti Elettronici S.P.A., Agrate Brianza, Mailand/Milano | BIPOLAR POWER TRANSISTOR |
US4565959A (en) * | 1981-10-30 | 1986-01-21 | Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Current supply circuit with redundant back-up current source |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS62279711A (en) * | 1986-05-28 | 1987-12-04 | Fuji Electric Co Ltd | Composite semiconductor device |
JP2521344Y2 (en) * | 1988-04-15 | 1996-12-25 | 株式会社リコー | Semiconductor integrated circuit device for drive circuit |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3562557A (en) * | 1968-02-28 | 1971-02-09 | Tektronix Inc | Complementary transistor circuit for driving an output terminal from one voltage level to another, including transistor coupling means between complementary transistors |
US3626211A (en) * | 1970-12-16 | 1971-12-07 | Sperry Rand Corp | Pulse modulator |
US3787734A (en) * | 1972-05-26 | 1974-01-22 | Ibm | Voltage regulator and constant current source for a current switch logic system |
US4118712A (en) * | 1975-11-04 | 1978-10-03 | Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Digital light meter system for a camera |
US4277696A (en) * | 1977-10-13 | 1981-07-07 | Hitachi, Ltd. | Semiconductor switch circuit |
US4282478A (en) * | 1978-10-03 | 1981-08-04 | Rca Corporation | Reference current supply circuits |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1379591A (en) * | 1971-04-20 | 1975-01-02 | Micro Consultants Ltd | Switchable current source |
US3982171A (en) * | 1974-01-02 | 1976-09-21 | International Business Machines Corporation | Gate current source |
DE2437638A1 (en) * | 1974-08-05 | 1976-02-26 | Siemens Ag | Current limiter with current measuring resistor - voltage drop is applied to amplifying component with constant bias |
JPS521233U (en) * | 1975-06-21 | 1977-01-07 | ||
US4160944A (en) * | 1977-09-26 | 1979-07-10 | Rca Corporation | Current amplifier capable of selectively providing current gain |
-
1982
- 1982-06-21 US US06/390,590 patent/US4423357A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1983
- 1983-04-20 JP JP58068512A patent/JPS58225727A/en active Granted
- 1983-05-19 EP EP83104959A patent/EP0097248B1/en not_active Expired
- 1983-05-19 DE DE8383104959T patent/DE3377819D1/en not_active Expired
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3562557A (en) * | 1968-02-28 | 1971-02-09 | Tektronix Inc | Complementary transistor circuit for driving an output terminal from one voltage level to another, including transistor coupling means between complementary transistors |
US3626211A (en) * | 1970-12-16 | 1971-12-07 | Sperry Rand Corp | Pulse modulator |
US3787734A (en) * | 1972-05-26 | 1974-01-22 | Ibm | Voltage regulator and constant current source for a current switch logic system |
US4118712A (en) * | 1975-11-04 | 1978-10-03 | Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Digital light meter system for a camera |
US4277696A (en) * | 1977-10-13 | 1981-07-07 | Hitachi, Ltd. | Semiconductor switch circuit |
US4282478A (en) * | 1978-10-03 | 1981-08-04 | Rca Corporation | Reference current supply circuits |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4565959A (en) * | 1981-10-30 | 1986-01-21 | Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Current supply circuit with redundant back-up current source |
DE3518077A1 (en) * | 1984-05-21 | 1985-11-21 | Sgs-Ates Componenti Elettronici S.P.A., Agrate Brianza, Mailand/Milano | BIPOLAR POWER TRANSISTOR |
US4672235A (en) * | 1984-05-21 | 1987-06-09 | Sgs Microelettronica S.P.A. | Bipolar power transistor |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE3377819D1 (en) | 1988-09-29 |
JPH057897B2 (en) | 1993-01-29 |
EP0097248B1 (en) | 1988-08-24 |
JPS58225727A (en) | 1983-12-27 |
EP0097248A3 (en) | 1984-12-05 |
EP0097248A2 (en) | 1984-01-04 |
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Legal Events
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, ARMON Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:ENGELMAN, JEFFERY A.;SANFORD, JAMES L.;REEL/FRAME:004011/0572;SIGNING DATES FROM 19820616 TO 19820617 |
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Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 4TH YEAR, PL 96-517 (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M170); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY Year of fee payment: 4 |
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Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 8TH YEAR, PL 96-517 (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M171); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY Year of fee payment: 8 |
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Free format text: MAINTENANCE FEE REMINDER MAILED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: REM.); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY |
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LAPS | Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees | ||
FP | Lapsed due to failure to pay maintenance fee |
Effective date: 19951227 |
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STCH | Information on status: patent discontinuation |
Free format text: PATENT EXPIRED DUE TO NONPAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEES UNDER 37 CFR 1.362 |